ASEAN navies are rapidly acquiring amphibious capabilities. Their intentions, however, remain unclear.
As a natural consequence of the maritime geography and complex array of security challenges within, naval modernization programs in Southeast Asia have always been characterized by the quest for a balanced set of capabilities. They not only reflect unique national requirements but also differing economic circumstances, which dictate the need for prioritization. In this equation, amphibious forces – often regarded as the less “glamorous” branch of navies – have long taken a backseat to other high-end assets such as missile-armed surface ships and submarines.

Over the last decade, this has begun to change.

Six of the nine member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – now possess varying-sized, specialized amphibious ground forces equivalent to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) or Russian Naval Infantry. This is no coincidence given that, because these formations are distinct from the army ground forces, maintaining them can be expensive. Moreover, the ships designed to give these forces mobility – large amphibious landing vessels – are also costly even though they feature comparatively less complex combat systems than those installed on warfighting assets.

Regional Interest Tampered by Funding Constraints
In the early 1990s, Indonesia bought 12 former East German Frosch class landing ships at bargain prices. This prompted Malaysia to purchase the KD Sri Inderapura, an 8,450-ton ex-U.S. Navy Newport class landing platform dock (LPD), which is a large amphibious landing ship designed with a well-dock for smaller craft and fighting vehicles, as well as deck facilities for two or more medium-sized helicopters. As Indonesia and Malaysia acquired these amphibious vessels, Singapore replaced her vintage landing ships with four 8,500-ton locally-built Endurance class LPDs in the late 1990s. Since Southeast Asian amphibious fleets mainly comprise WWII or Soviet-era vessels of dubious operational status, these were significant acquisitions.

Still, shortfalls in amphibious capabilities left many ASEAN countries woefully unequipped to engage in disaster relief operations following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It was only in the immediate years after that Indonesia and Thailand in particular went about procuring new LPDs. For its part, Indonesia purchased five 11,400-ton Makassar class LPDs (one of which was specially outfitted as a hospital ship) based on a South Korean design. Thailand introduced HTMS Ang Thong, a modified variant of the Singapore-designed Endurance class, which had performed well in the tsunami relief operations off Indonesia’s Banda Aceh.

Still, regional interest in new amphibious capabilities quickly stalled as lack of funding forced ASEAN navies to prioritize more immediate maritime security concerns. For example, despite the need to replace KD Sri Inderapura following a 2009 fire, budgetary reasons forced Malaysia to defer the Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) program from the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) to the Tenth Malaysia Plan (2011-2015). Instead, Malaysia acquired sea control (corvettes and offshore patrol vessels) and sea denial platforms (submarines) in order to combat rising piracy in the Malacca Strait and, more recently, South China Sea tensions.

‘Amphibious Forces Creep’ in Southeast Asia: Only for HADR?
However, over the past couple of years there are signs of a renewed regional commitment to modernizing amphibious forces. In July of this year, Myanmar reportedly began negotiations with Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL for the purchase of an unknown number of LPDs based on the Makassar class. If this deal does go through, it will mark a major milestone for the Myanmar amphibious forces, which currently consist of only a modest fleet of small landing craft and a Naval Infantry battalion. The Philippines also finally made progress on its long-discussed Strategic Support Vessel (SSV) program when it inked a contract with PT PAL for a pair of modified Makassar class LPDs. Prior to that, the locally built 570-ton landing craft utility BRP Tagbanua – which was commissioned in 2011 – had been the only notable addition to the Philippines’ mostly WWII-vintage fleet of landing ships.

Most commentators may attribute this “amphibious forces creep” to recent natural disasters like the Super Typhoon Haiyan that ravaged the region and, especially, the Philippine islands of Leyte. This conjecture may be reinforced by plans mooted in June this year by Singapore to purchase what some called a mini-aircraft carrier, dubbed the Joint Multi-Mission Ship. The vessel is envisaged to be larger than the Endurance class and with greater helicopter capacity. The announcement seemed closely linked to island state’s offer to host a Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Center a couple of months before as a remedy to the lackluster coordination and questionable response capacity observed amongst ASEAN governments in the aftermath of Haiyan.

While this “creep” could be seen as a collective effort to enhance HADR capacity in Southeast Asia, there are other factors that should not be overlooked. This “creep” is actually more far-reaching than the mere acquisitions of new sealift assets. It involves, at least for some countries, the modernization and mechanization of existing amphibious ground forces, as well as doctrinal shifts – certainly steps that go beyond HADR needs. For example, even though the MRSS could potentially be deferred again, following last year’s clashes with Sulu militants in Lahad Datu, eastern Sabah, Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin told local press in October 2013 that efforts are underway to improve amphibious defenses. During a working visit to Hawaii in January of this year, he also sought American help in developing a dedicated amphibious ground force based on the USMC model. The just-concluded Malaysia-U.S. Amphibious Exercise (MALUS AMPHEX) conducted in Lahad Datu possibly heralded the first step in this regard.

Similarly, Indonesia is revitalizing its sealift capabilities, having just launched its latest indigenous landing ship, the KRI Teluk Bintuni, and plans to acquire at least another six of these vessels. The Indonesian Marine Corps (Korps Marinir or KORMAR) is also in the process of modernization and deeper mechanization. In July 2013, Jakarta reportedly sought to establish a tenth KORMAR battalion as part of the Navy force expansion and restructuring program. A second batch of Russian-built BMP-3F Series-2 infantry combat vehicles – a variant optimized for amphibious assault – was delivered in late January 2014, bringing the total to 54 in KORMAR service. There have also been reports that Jakarta completed work on a draft contract to purchase BTR-4 amphibious troop carriers from Ukraine.

Likely Extra-Regional Influences?
Looking beyond the HADR motivation, the “amphibious creep” in Southeast Asia may be partially influenced by the ambitious amphibious forces programs of extra-regional powers. For instance, Australia is currently inducting its new pair of 26,000-ton Canberra class landing helicopter docks based on the Spanish Juan Carlos I class, and has plans for an Amphibious Ready Group by 2016. South Korea similarly outlined plans in 2013 for an amphibious landing ship larger than the existing 19,000-ton Dokdo, possibly based on the Juan Carlos I class as well. In addition, Seoul launched the first of its new indigenously-built 4,500-ton LST-II landing ships in September 2013, and plans to acquire three additional ones by 2018.

Japan is establishing dedicated amphibious forces to suit the needs of a dynamic defense posture, ostensibly aimed at security concerns in the remote southern isles including the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. This includes creating a USMC-like formation by FY2015 that will be equipped with amphibious fighting vehicles and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor transports, as well as a large amphibious landing ship – most likely bigger and more capable than the 14,000-ton Osumi class LPDs – slated for a decision timeline by March 2019. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force has already begun acquiring relevant specialized know-how in amphibious assault operations through joint training and exchanges with the USMC.

Most notably perhaps, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been bolstering its amphibious forces in recent years. The PLA Marine Corps is modernizing with new infantry equipment and amphibious fighting vehicles, supported by a burgeoning fleet of larger, more capable sealift assets. In August of last year, Beijing reportedly began constructing the first Type-081 landing helicopter dock possibly inspired by the French Mistral class. Perhaps more ominously, the PLA has recently demonstrated its amphibious might in the South China Sea. Specifically, 17,600-ton Type-071 Yuzhao class LPDs were frequently sighted together with PLA Marine Corps detachments, ship borne helicopters and landing assault craft in the disputed waters.

China and the South China Sea Factor?

China’s growing amphibious forces seen in the context of persistent tensions over the South China Sea disputes could be a significant driving factor behind the “creep” observed in Southeast Asia. This is especially the case for the Philippines and Vietnam, and to a lesser extent Indonesia and Malaysia. Just late last month, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang announced the reorientation of the Philippine Marine Corps in line with the overall transition from an internal security to an external defense force, with its focus on the South China Sea. The SSVs, when they are delivered in 2016-17, would support their deployments to those far-flung outposts in the disputed Spratly Archipelago.

Vietnam’s primary opponent in the South China Sea disputes is almost certainly China, but Hanoi’s strategy has traditionally been predicated on sea denial in reflection of the vast naval force asymmetry between it and Beijing. However, there is an evident shift in such thinking towards building some limited forms of offensive sea control capacity, especially for the purpose of undertaking counter-offensive operations in the event of a hostile takeover of Vietnamese-occupied Spratly features. Still, the priority remains with warfighting assets, and thus only small inroads have been made into amphibious sealift. Instead of large landing ships such as LPDs, Vietnam is steadily inducting locally built roll-on/roll-off vessels with small payloads optimized for Spratly missions. Nonetheless, the Vietnam Naval Infantry is in a serious if modest process of modernization, and has been seen sporting new camouflaged uniforms, personal protective gear, and Israeli-made weapons even though it is still operating Soviet-era amphibious fighting vehicles.

Malaysia has a way smaller extent of claims in the Spratlys than Vietnam. Thus it wasn’t completely surprising when, to avoid damaging relations with China – its biggest trading partner – it remained somewhat ambiguous about two reported instances of PLA Navy ships, including amphibious forces, “showing the Chinese flag” at the disputed James Shoal. Still, Kuala Lumpur could not have been oblivious to the potential Chinese military challenge to its Spratlys claims. While the plan to establish an amphibious force modeled on the USMC may be attributed to the Lahad Datu experience, one cannot dismiss the possibility that such measures are also motivated by concerns over the South China Sea. Seen in this light, MALUS AMPHEX is akin to killing two birds with one stone – to prepare Malaysia for future contingencies in both eastern Sabah and the Spratlys.
Jakarta’s “amphibious forces creep” can be seen as part of contingency measures against potential crises in the South China Sea. In March of this year, the chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces, General Moeldoko, announced plans to strengthen defenses around the Natuna Islands in the southern end of the South China Sea, where Chinese fishing vessels were known to frequently intrude. He called for the need to “carefully watch the South China Sea,” and said that every event in the South China Sea could be dangerous for the country. Moeldoko also warned that “if something happens there, it could also spread to Indonesia.”

Even though Indonesia has repeatedly said it is not a claimant in the South China Sea dispute, tensions in the area have not gone unnoticed Jakarta.
Besides the South China Sea issue, Indonesia’s buildup appears directed at potentially resurgent maritime disputes with Malaysia. Malaysia allegedly violated Indonesian territory by installing a light beacon off the coast of Tanjung Datu along the West Kalimantan-Sarawak border in May 2014. Shortly after this incident, KORMAR was involved in an Indonesian joint air-land-sea operation codenamed Garda Wibawa 14, ostensibly aimed at enhancing its response to future Malaysian transgressions in the disputed Ambalat hydrocarbon block, located in the Celebes Sea.

The Need for More Caution, More Cooperation
Amphibious landing ships epitomize the classic difficulty in distinguishing between armaments used for offense and defense. By their very nature, such assets are dual functional. They can be deployed for peaceful purposes such as HADR, or for aggressive reasons like annexing maritime territories. As the region grapples with the foreseeable rise in incidences of natural calamities, acquiring such platforms benefits collective security. In this sense, amphibious landing ships have become indispensable to ASEAN.

However, it is precisely because of their dual-functional nature that one ought to exercise caution over the potential geopolitical ramifications of such acquisitions, especially when combined with the use of marine or naval infantry maneuver forces. This is particularly the case in ongoing regional territorial dispute, where the offensive utility of amphibious forces becomes relevant and could potentially inflame tensions. To ameliorate this problem, regional amphibious forces ought to be encouraged to participate in future multinational exercises, not just for building regional resilience against natural calamities but also to build confidence and trust.

Four masked pirates fired shots at the Vietnamese, who were working for a Malay employer, at around 9am, Wednesday some 20 nautical miles from Malaysia and 50 nautical miles from the Philippines, the Bernama news agency reported.

Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, Sabah's Police Commissioner, said in a statement that Nguyen Nain Len, 47, was hit by a bullet that struck below his armpit; Huynh Thanh Tuan, 33, was hit in the knee.

Both are under treatment at Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital in Sarawak.

“They are being treated in the hospital's emergency ward and are in stable condition,” he said.

The officer said the pirates have continued to pursue the 10-man Vietnamese crew until they were rescued by a Malaysia naval patrol.

Jalaluddin said vessels from the Malaysia marine police, royal navy, maritime enforcement force, and the Eastern Sabah Security Command are in the process of hunting down the pirates.

From the Sun Star-Davao (Oct 17): NPA leader with P4.8M on his head falls

A high-ranking leader of the New People's Army (NPA) wanted for several crimes was arrested at a joint military-police checkpoint in Barangay Mankilam road in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Thursday.

Eastern Mindanao Command's (Eastmincom) public information officer Captain Alberto Caberidentified the rebel leader as Dominiciano Daungcay Muya, alias Marco and Atoy, a member of the NPA's Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) executive committee, with P4.8-million cash reward for his arrest based on Department of the Interior and Local Government's Joint Order 14-2012.

Muya was a former staff of the NPA Northeastern-Mindanao Regional Committee and secretary of the Guerilla Front 18 of SMRC.

Caber said Muya was involved in the killing of one Police Officer 1 (PO1) Marito Correos and PO1 Rey Mongaya Ejercito in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur on June 19, 2004.

Muya was also tagged in the killing of Second Lieutenant Lucresio Julampong Jr. in Barangay Bantawan, Baganga, Davao Oriental, five years ago.

The rebel was arrested around 1:45 p.m. at a military checkpoint while he was on board a motorcycle, Caber said.

Arrest warrants had been issued against Muya after he was charged with robbery with double homicide and damage to properties, multiple murders, and double frustrated murder before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 7 and 10 in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, and RTC Branch 8 and 10 in Malaybalay in Bukidnon.

"The arrest was made possible through the monitoring and case build-up of Army intelligence units, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Davao del Norte Provincial Police Office, and the 10th Infantry Division," Caber said.

Caber said the suspect was found in possession of a .45 caliber pistol 1911 with serial number 060878, one hand grenade and two cellular phones, and various documents.

He also said the arrest is in line with guidance of the Eastmincom commander Lieutenant General Aurelio B. Baladad.

"His order is to intensify the campaign against the NPA, particularly in targeting the leadership of the SMRC group to complement the Peace and Development Outreach Program (PDOP) and to focus on military operations," Caber said.

Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division commander Major General Eduardo M. Ano, for his part, said Muya's arrest is another major setback for the communist movement in Southern Mindanao.

He said this may cause demoralization in the group, as well as a vacuum in their leadership.

Rami said the Germans were turned over to an unnamed government facilitator, who accompanied the hostages to Zamboanga City.

Rami said the area where they brought the Germans had been cleared by troops.

Earlier in the day, Rami’s aide Al Kataib also said, “They have already delivered the money.”

The bandits had demanded the withdrawal of government troops, threatening to behead Okonek ahead of the 3 p.m. deadline.

The Abu Sayyaf did not insist on the original demand that Germany stop supporting the US campaign against Islamic State militants.

Bandits are holding ten other mostly foreign hostages in Mindanao.

After the 5 p.m. deadline lapsed yesterday, no word was heard from the bandit group.

Kataib said Rami, as the Abu Sayyaf spokesman, would make a statement to confirm the release of the captives.

Okonek, 74, and his wife Henrike Dielen, 55, were snatched from their yacht by the Abu Sayyaf last April on their way to Palawan and brought to Sulu.

Reports, however, disclosed a certain Rudger Konig, said to be a German facilitator, had flown to Sulu and negotiated for the release of the couple.

Authorities declined to confirm the negotiations made by Konig for the release of the German couple.

On the other hand, a soldier who took part in the rescue operations confirmed the Abu Sayyaf militants and their hostages were within “line of sight.”

“The group was in our sight but there was no order to launch rescue operation yet,” the soldier disclosed.

Rami also confirmed they were surrounded by government troops up to the last minute of the deadline.

He issued the warning to execute Okonek over the radio to prevent the troops from closing in.

The military has been deployed and is believed to be surrounding the possible location of the Abu Sayyaf bandits holding the German captives, according to a military official.

Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, commander of Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said they were just waiting for the decision of the Special Action Committee of the Provincial Peace and Order Council.

“The discussion is to focus on the areas where the Abu Sayyaf group are encamping and the areas where they are holding the hostages,” Guerrero said.

He said as of press time, there has been no significant development.

“We will not hesitate on what to do,” Guerrero added when asked if they were ready to rescue the victims once given the signal by the provincial special action committee.

Security forces have been tight-lipped over their operations to rescue the German couple.

“The law enforcement operations are ongoing. I cannot say where or when specifically because we do not want to endanger the life of the hostages,” Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said.

From The Star Online (Oct 18): Group holding M’sians more keen on ransom

KOTA KINABALU: The two Malaysian captives in the hands of Abu Sayyaf groups in the southern Philippines are unlikely to face the threat of execution like the German couple held by another more extremist group.

A Filipino academician who has been studying the terror group said the Abu Sayyaf factions holding Marine police Kons Zakiah Aleip, 26, and fish farm manager Chan Sai Chuin, 32, in Jolo island were more interested in getting “payment” for their captives.

“These people are materialistic and not so much political in nature,” said Prof Octavio Dinampo of the Southern Mindanao State University.

He claimed that the faction holding Kons Zakiah was led by Jihad Susukan @ Idang, the younger brother of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Mujib Susukan, one of those involved in the kidnapping of 21 Malaysians and foreigners from Pulau Sipadan in April 2000.

Dinampo said Kons Zakiah was at first held in the mountainous jungles of Talipao but had been moved closer towards Indanan over the past few weeks.

He said Chan was being held by a Abu Sayyaf faction led by two brothers with the family name of Sawajan in the Patikul municipality.

There have also been claims that notorious Abu Sayyaf leader Alhabsi Misaya was the man behind the groups holding Kons Zakiah and Chan.

The separate groups are demanding RM3mil each for their release and it is understood that negotiations through mediators had stalled because of the “excessive” demand.

The wives of Kons Zakiah and Chan are increasingly worried over reports of threats to behead the Germans, who have since been freed.

Sharifah Ernah Berson and Chin Pek Nyen said they could only offer prayers for the safety of their husbands.

“I last spoke to Zakiah about two weeks ago. I pray every day that he will remain unharmed and be returned to us safely,” she said.

“I am hearing so many rumours now. I don’t know what to believe,” said Chin, who hoped the state government and federal government can help secure Chan’s release as soon as possible.

Kons Zakiah was abducted by Filipino gunmen from the Mabul Water Bungalows Resort in Semporna on July 12, while Chan was snatched from his fish farm in Kunak on June 16.

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Oct 18): Germans freed by Abu Sayyaf arrive in ManilaThe two Germans freed by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu on Friday evening arrived in Manila, the military said on Saturday.

“The two German nationals arrived Manila at [Villamor Air Base] at 6:45 a.m. today,” Major General Domingo Tutaan, military spokesperson, said.

“Embassy of Germany have made arrangements for this and have taken custody over them,” he also said.

Viktor Stefan Okonek, 71, and his companion, Henrite Dielen, 55, were abducted by the Abu Sayyaf last April in Palawan while enroute to Sabah.

They were freed on Friday evening in Patikul in Sulu but it was not clear whether ransom was paid.

The Abu Sayyaf claimed they have received the ransom in full but officials were tight-lipped about it.

The militants previously warned that it would behead one of its German captives by 3 p.m. on Friday if their demands were not met.‎They asked for P250 million and the withdrawal of support of Germany from the US campaign against the Islamic State.

Rivals Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) have agreed to hold quarterly dialogues under
the supervision of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to reconcile
their separate peace overtures with Malacañang.

The consensus was reached by both groups during a two-day
meeting from October 13 to 14 of the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) in Manila, which the OIC
facilitated through special envoy Ambassador Syed El-Masry, a representative of
the Egyptian government.

The OIC, a bloc of more than 50 Muslim states, including
petroleum-exporting countries in the Middle East and North
Africa, helped broker the Sept. 2, 1996 government-MNLF truce.

The OIC has also been observing the national government’s
Mindanao peace process through its Southern Philippines Peace Committee,
comprised of senior government officials from member-states, among them Egypt, Libya,
Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

The MILF’s chief negotiator, Muhaquer Iqbal, and lawyer
Randolph Parcasio of the MNLF, signed on October 14, before El-Masry, a
three-page communiqué enjoining each other’s group to cooperate in furthering a
shared, viable peace blueprint for Mindanao
through the BCF.

Parcasio is the official representative of MNLF founder Nur
Misuari, now wanted for allegedly instigating the deadly September 2013 siege
by his followers in ZamboangaCity.

The activation of the BCF was an offshoot of a solidarity
conference among the MILF, the MNLF and the OIC in Dushanbe
in Tajikistan
on May 18, 2010.

The Tajikistan
engagement was attended by Misuari and the MILF’s figurehead, Hadji Murad
Ebrahim.

The MILF and the MNLF both acknowledged, in their initial
joint Tajikistan communiqué,
the importance of continuing coordination in addressing political and security
issues besetting Mindanao’s Moro communities.

Iqbal said the October 13-14 Manila BCF meeting, which
El-Masry presided over, was cordial.

Iqbal said the MILF has been keeping up with its avowed
inclusivity policy in finding lasting solution to the nagging, decades-old Moro
issue.

The Manila BCF event was preceded by two MILF-MNLF
dialogues, held December 6-7, 2011 and, subsequently, on June 14, 2014, at the
OIC’s central headquarters in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.

Iqbal said they do not have problem working with any Moro
sector in pushing the Mindanao peace process
forward.

The MNLF was jointly established in the early 1970s by
Misuari, who is from Sulu, and cleric Imam Salamat Hashim, an ethnic
Maguindanaon, who finished an Islamic theology degree at the Al-AzharUniversity
in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Salamat and his followers bolted from the MNLF in the early
1980s, due to irreconcilable differences with Misuari, and established the
MILF, which is more religious in stature.

In 1999, Misuari, while governor of the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao, broke bread and smoked the proverbial peace pipe with Salamat
during a historic visit to the MILF’s main bastion then, Camp Abubakar, at the
forested tri-boundary of Maguindanao’s Buldon, Barira and Matanog towns.

The firebrand Misuari again became hostile with the MILF
after the crafting of the October 15, 2013 Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro
(FAB), which he said rendered useless the now 17-year GPH-MNLF peace accord.

The FAB was to become the main reference for the
government-MILF March 27, 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, and the
draft Basic Bangsamoro Law, an enabling measure for the creation of a
Bangsamoro entity that would replace the ARMM.

The GPH-MNLF final peace accord, signed by Misuari and
former President Fidel Ramos, led to the integration of about 7,000 former
guerillas into the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police and the
assimilation of rebel leaders into the Philippine political mainstream.

In a statement Thursday, the largest MNLF faction, led by
former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, said there was considerable breakthrough
in the October 13-14 BCF dialogue in Manila, where he was a participant too.

Sema, whose group has visibly been friendly with the MILF,
and Mujahab Hashim of the MNLF’s Islamic Command Council, also affixed their
signatures to the latest BCF communiqué, which Iqbal, Parcasio and El-Masry
signed before the culmination of their Manila
meeting.

“The meeting bolstered our efforts to build a `good venue’
where the MNLF, the MILF and the OIC can talk and see through how to harmonize
one another’s peace initiative for the Bangsamoro people,” Sema said.

The MILF and the MNLF had also agreed, during the latest BCF
activity, on the activation of a secretariat, comprised of three members
from each side, to facilitate coordination and administrative linkages needed
to sustain continuing engagements.

Both sides also stated the need to convene the BCF, at least
every three months, in their latest joint statement.

Defense Undesersecretary Honorio Azqueta and the three Major Services commanders also received the keys from Casanova.

BCDA, a government controlled corporation, transforms former military bases and properties into commercial centers under Republic Act 7227.

The buildings replicate former Joint US Military Assistance Group (Jusmag) housing facilities for the Philippine Army. The Jusmag area in Fort Bonifacio was disposed to private developers for a reported amount of P20 billion.

The fund was the earmarked for the AFP modernization program involving the purchase of new military assets such as warships, jet fighters and other equipment.

Philippine Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said in a state news report that the new housing facility intends is part of the program to boost the morale and welfare of Army soldiers.

Each of the 12 medium-rise buildings have 16 units. Ten of the buildings are located inside the Army headquarters, while the other two at the Philippine Air Force headquarters.

Taipei announces it is considering deploying armed naval vessels to South China Sea island it calls Itu Aba, also known as Tai Ping, in move likely to irritate other claimants in the regionTaiwan is considering stationing armed vessels permanently on a disputed South China Sea island, officials said, a move bound to renew friction in a region claimed almost wholly by Beijing, with Vietnam already dismissing such a plan as “illegal”.

The potentially energy-rich Spratly Islands are one of the main flashpoints in the South China Sea, with claims also from Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei, and are closely watched by the United States after China placed a giant oil rig in nearby waters also claimed by Vietnam.

Itu Aba, also known as Tai Ping, is the only island in the Spratlys large enough to accommodate a port – currently under construction. Taiwan had previously said the port, expected to be completed late next year, would allow 3,000-tonne naval frigates and coastguard cutters to dock there.

Officials at Taiwan’s Coast Guard, which administers Itu Aba, and Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence, which stations troops there, said the port could become the permanent home of armed vessels.

“We are discussing this possibility,” said Chen Yeong-kang, chief of Taiwan’s navy, acknowledging that “it is a very sensitive issue”.

Shih Yi-che, head of communications at Taiwan’s Coast Guard, said: “The purpose of this action would be to promulgate the Republic of China’s sovereignty and power in defending our territory around Tai Ping Island.”

A Taiwan navy Perry-class frigate launches an anti-submarine rocket during the annual military exercises off the east coast of central Taiwan last month. Photo: AP

Rivals China and Taiwan share claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a legacy of the Chinese civil war when the Communists split from the Nationalists and took control of the Chinese mainland in 1949. The Nationalists settled on Taiwan, and as the “Republic of China”, still claim to be the legitimate rulers of greater China.

China, which claims Taiwan as a renegade province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control, issued a sanguine response to Taiwan’s plan.

“Taiwan and the mainland are both part of one China. Relevant activities by Chinese people in the Spratly Islands and its nearby seas, including on Tai Ping, are beyond reproach,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement sent to reporters.

Experts believe China prefers Itu Aba to remain under Taiwan’s control rather than fall into the hands of other rivals, given its ultimate goal of reunification.

But Taiwan ships on permanent call in the Spratlys would represent a new headache for Communist Party rulers in Beijing as they grapple with weeks-long pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and face separatist calls in far-western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

Itu Aba is Taiwan’s only holding in the disputed region, but it boasts the larger of two landing strips in the archipelago and is the only island with its own fresh water supply, making a long-term presence possible.

Taiwan occupied Itu Aba. or Tai Ping island, the largest in the Spratly archipelago. Photo SCMP Pictures“It reinforces the trend of increased paramilitary activity across the South China Sea,” Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapore’s Institute of South East Asian Studies, said of Taiwan’s plan.

“I would fully expect we’ll see Vietnam make some kind of pro-forma protest, followed by the Philippines.”

The ships would mainly be used for rescue and maintenance, though they would be equipped with weapons systems, Shih and an official at the Ministry of National Defence said. It was not immediately clear how many ships would be stationed there or when a final decision would be made.

Taiwan has not taken sides with China in the South China Sea, despite the historical ties, given the political mistrust between them – and because of its need to maintain good relations with its biggest ally and arms supplier, the United States, a vocal critic of Beijing’s policies in the disputed waters.

A senior commander in the Philippine navy said Taiwan’s plan would lead to increased military activity in the Spratlys and that it could raise the possibility of “incidents”, while a spokesman for Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called any such move “illegal and groundless”.

Malaysia has five permanent stations in the Spratlys and there is always at least one navy ship at a station, a navy spokesman said.

From the International Business Times (Oct 16): Chinese Navy Chief Conducts 'Unprecedented' Survey Of Spratly Islands

Chinese oil rig Haiyang Shi You 981 is seen surrounded by ships of China Coast Guard in the South China Sea, about 210 km (130 miles) off shore of Vietnam May 14, 2014. Reuters/Nguyen MinhChinas appears to have made headway in the so-called ‘reclamation’ of disputed areas in the South China Sea, a project to create new land masses using reefs in areas claimed by both Beijing and its neighbors. According to Taiwan and Hong Kong news sources, China’s naval chief has been surveying islands located in disputed maritime territories, angering nations locked in territorial disputes with China such as the Philppines.

According to Taiwan’s Want China Times, which cited briefing given in Taipei by Lee Hsiang-chou, the director general of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Chinese admiral Wu Shengli, the commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, completed a survey of five islands in the archipelago known as Spratly Islands. The Spratlys are claimed by multiple Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia. Lee called Wu’s visit to the islands “unprecedented” even for China, a nation that continues to assert claims in the area by setting up oil rigs, military outposts and other structures.

Hong Kong news source Takungpao wrote that Wu spent a week surveying the islands and reported that the approval for the mission came directly from China’s President Xi Jinping. China’s government has been actively developing its presence in the area. A BBC report in September revealed China’s efforts in churning out island masses in the disputed waters with factory-like efficiency, turning many of the reefs in the area into new pieces of land to claim. Aerial photographs taken by the Philippine Navy show the massive amount of development that has been done since January, with millions of tons of rock and sand being dredged up from the seafloor.

China’s presence has made other countries in the area worried that new land masses could signal attempts at developing air bases and other military facilities.

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Oct 17): Abu Sayyaf frees 2 German hostages in Philippines

Latest photos posted by Aboo Rami on his Twitter account show German hostage Stefan Viktor Okonek and members of the militant Abu Sayyaf group. And previous photos of the hostages. (Mindanao Examiner)Abu Sayyaf militants have freed two German hostages late Friday after receiving ransoms in southern Philippines.

The hostages - Stefan Viktor Okonek, 71, and Henrike Diesen, 55, were recovered by policemen near a checkpoint in Patikul town in Sulu province and were immediately whisked by the military to a camp in Jolo town.

Military sources said the hostages would be brought to Zamboanga City before flying to Manila where they would be handed to Philippine and German officials.

Aboo Rami, an Abu Sayyaf spokesman, has told a radio station that ransoms were paid for the safe release of the Germans, but he did not elaborate. The militants have originally demanded P250 million ransoms in exchange for the hostages and for Germany to cease all support to US coalition campaign against ISIS which is fighting for Islamic caliphate.

The German yachters were intercepted at sea by the Abu Sayyaf on April 25 while heading to Sabah in Malaysia from a holiday in the Philippines.

The release of the Germans came hours after Philippine security forces have launched an operation in an effort to capture Abu Sayyaf militants holding foreign hostages in Sulu.

The Abu Sayyaf had threatened to kill the hostages if the military launches a combat operation against the notorious group tied to Jemaah Islamiya and al-Qaeda. Arab or Indonesian militants are also among the Filipino militants guarding the hostages.

Officials said police and military, armed with arrest warrants, are presently intensifying law enforcement operations following threats by the Abu Sayyaf - which recently pledged allegiance to jihadist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS - to kill the Germans.

“We have collaborated with the military in assisting us to intensify the conduct of law enforcement operations here in Sulu with the present situation that the province has been confronting. Currently, our military and police strengthens the conduct of patrols and checkpoints in order to serve the warrants of arrest to Abu Sayyaf bandits who are responsible for the series of kidnapping and other high profile crimes in the area,” Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz, Jr, head of the Special Anti-Kidnapping Task Force and the Joint Task Force ZAMBASULTA (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi), said in a statement released by the military’s Western Mindanao Command.

The Western Mindanao Command said police and military authorities are ready and willing to shift from law enforcement operations to tactical options should the Special Action Committee of Sulu come up with a resolution that would allow security forces to advance with their operations.

“The Western Mindanao Command continues to support the PNP’s law enforcement operations under the guidance of the Special Actions Committee in Sulu,” said Lieutenant General Rustico Guerrero, head of the Western Mindanao Command.

He said the ongoing joint police and military operations cover the implementation of warrants of arrest, search and seizure, and other law enforcement activities against the members of the Abu Sayyaf group.

The Philippine military has deployed K9 units in Sulu to help ground troops search for at least 7 foreigners being held by the Abu Sayyaf.

Marine Captain Maria Rowena Muyuela, a spokeswoman for Western Mindanao Command, said: “The K9 teams will help track down the Abu Sayyaf as military troops continue to pursue the bandits in their hiding places. Intensified law enforcement operations in coordination with the local government and the police are ongoing to facilitate rescue of kidnap victims and expedite the arrest of Abu Sayyafs in the province.”

Another Abu Sayyaf faction also threatened to kill Malaysian fish breeder Chan Sai Chuin, 32, who was kidnapped along with a Filipino worker on June 16 this year from a fish farm in the town of Kunak in Tawau District. The militants are demanding 3 million ringgits (P41 million) for the safe release of the fish breeder.

It is also holding captive a Malaysian policeman Kons Zakiah Aleip, 26, who was seized on June 12 also this year following a clash in Sabah that killed another policeman. The militants are demanding 5 million ringgits (P68.3 million)

The Abu Sayyaf is also holding a 64-year old Japanese treasure hunter Katayama Mamaito, who was kidnapped from Pangutaran Island in July 2010; and two European wildlife photographers Ewold Horn, 52, from Holland; and Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, from Switzerland, who were taken captive in the coastal village of Parangan in Panglima Sugala town in the southern Tawi-Tawi province in 2012.

The 1st Infantry Division has sent two battalions of soldiers in Sulu to help in the operation, said Brigadier General Gerardo Barrientos, Jr. He said the new unit is “equally capable of addressing various threats and emergencies.”

This was on top of 100 Special Forces soldiers from Zamboanga City that were sent to Sulu on October 8 to help other units fight the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf group, formed by Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani in 1992, continues to recruit members to fight the government in their attempt to set up a strict Islamic state in Mindanao. The group now has hundreds of members in the Muslim autonomous region.

The military has failed to stop the growing influence and violent campaigns of the militant group tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya mainly because it did not sustain the combat operations needed to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf in the restive region. Much of the military's huge budget goes to combat operations and its modernization program.

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Oct 18): Twin bombings hit Philippine city

Two improvised explosives were detonated in Isabela City at dawn Friday, but police was quick to blame failed extortion as behind the twin attacks on two separate areas there.

There were no reports of casualties in the explosions and police failed again to stop the attacks. One witness said he saw a man left the bomb outside the staff house of Cargill Oil Mill and quickly escaped on a pick-up truck driven by his companion.

In the second attack on a nearby village, another witness claimed he spotted a man left the improvised bomb outside a establishment which exploded minutes after the assailant fled.Both explosives were assembled from mortar bombs.

The latest blasts came two days after an improvised bomb also went off inside the residential compound of Engineer Soler Undug, of the Department of Public Works and Highways. No one was killed or hurt in that attack and police blamed the explosion to the Abu Sayyaf.

From ABS-CBN (Oct 18): Abu Sayyaf frees 2 German hostages Your browser does not support the audio element.

Listen to Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Rami's interview with Radio Mindanao Network announcing the release of their two German hostages
MANILA (6th UPDATE) - Two German hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf Group have been released, a spokesman of the Al Qaeda-linked militants said Friday.

Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Rami, through a phone interview with a local radio station in Zamboanga City, said two Germans were released at around 8:45 p.m. in Patikul, Sulu.

Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group chief Senior Supt. Robert Fajardo confirmed the release of the hostages.

Fajardo, in an interview with radio dzMM Friday night, said Stefan Okonek, 71, and Henrike Dielen, 55, are now in military custody.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., in a text message to ABS-CBN News, said Okonek and Dielen were released by the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul at 8:50 p.m.

Government troops then brought the two Germans to a military camp in Busbos for a medical check-up.

Catapang, quoting Western Mindanao Command deputy chief Brig. Gen. Charlie Galvez, said the freed hostages will be brought to Zamboanga City through a Philippine Navy ship.

They will then flown to Manila, he said.

The German foreign ministry thanked the Philippine government for its "close and trusting cooperation".

"We are relieved to be able to confirm that both Germans are no longer in the hands of their kidnappers," a spokeswoman said. "Both Germans are now in the care of staff of the embassy in Manila."

The hostages, captured by militants of the Abu Sayyaf group in April from a yacht on the high seas, were held in the interior of the remote island of Jolo, 600 miles (960 km) south of Manila.

RANSOM Al Kataib, a man who described himself as an associate of Abu Rami, said in a telephone call to reporters in Zamboanga City that the group got a portion of the P250 million ($5.56 million) they had demanded by Friday and "would not touch" the German they had threatened to behead.

He declined to say how much money they got, or give details about who had paid it.

Earlier in the day, a government official told Reuters that the German man had not been killed.

"The beheading will not happen," said the government source who declined to be identified.

The official, who was privy to the negotiations with the rebels, said about P60 million had been paid. The remainder would be delivered after more talks, the official said.

Catapang, however, said he had no information on the supposed ransom payment, while highlighting that the military did not directly conduct negotiations over money.

"We do not negotiate with terrorists," he said on dzMM.

German government sources told Reuters that Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had sent a special envoy to the Philippines to negotiate a deal.

The envoy, Ruediger Koenig, had arrived in Manila, the sources said on Thursday evening.

TERRORIST GROUP OR CRIMINAL GANG?
Labelled a terrorist group by the United States and Philippine governments, the Abu Sayyaf is a loose band of a few hundred militants founded in the 1990s by Abdurajak Janjalani, an Islamic preacher and veteran of the Afghanistan war.

It was set up with seed money from Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law.

It has kidnapped dozens of foreign aid workers, missionaries and tourists in the south.

By ransoming off its hostages for millions of dollars the group was able to raise funds to buy more arms, and it cemented its brutal reputation by beheading some of its captives -- including an American tourist seized in 2002.

The Abu Sayyaf claims it is fighting to establish an independent Islamic homeland in the Muslim populated south of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

In July, a video appeared on Youtube in which one of the Abu Sayyaf's leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State extremists who have taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.

But Philippine authorities say the Abu Sayyaf is mainly a criminal gang interested in kidnappings-for-ransom and other lucrative illegal activities.

The Abu Sayyaf is also believed to still be holding two European birdwatchers, a Malaysian fish breeder and an elderly Japanese man.

Last year, the group released retired Australian soldier Warren Rodwell and Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani after ransoms were reportedly paid. The two were abducted separately and each held captive for over a year.

In 2007, the Abu Sayyaf killed 14 marines, 10 of whom were beheaded, after they ambushed a military convoy on Basilan island. The soldiers were on a mission to rescue a kidnapped Italian priest, who was later released.

The Abu Sayyaf was also blamed for the bombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 116 people, in what Philippine authorities described as the country's worst terrorist attack.

In the past 12 years, up to 600 US Special Forces troops on rotating deployments to the southern Philippines have trained Filipino troops in a bid to combat the Abu Sayyaf.

The military campaign has had some major successes, including the capture or killings of its top leaders.

But the Abu Sayyaf has survived the offensives by hiding among clannish Muslim communities on remote southern islands, and also replenishing personnel losses from the supportive local populations.

From ABS-CBN (Oct 17): Who are the Abu Sayyaf?Here are key facts about the Abu Sayyaf, a Philippines-based Islamic group, which released two German hostages on Friday after holding them for six months.

ORIGINS: Libya-trained Islamic preacher Abdurajak Janjalani formed the Abu Sayyaf (Bearer of the Sword) in the early 1990s.

OBJECTIVES: The group says it wants to turn the Philippines, a mainly Catholic nation with a large Muslim minority, into an Islamic state through violent means.

However experts say it is more focused on lucrative criminal activities rather than ideology.

TACTICS: The group bombs Christian, military, police, government or civilian targets, and kidnaps Christian missionaries and tourists. It has beheaded many Filipino victims and one American hostage.

SIZE: The group has no more than 400 or so armed members, according to the Philippine military. But personnel losses through deaths or captures from clashes with government forces are replenished by relatives in impoverished, clannish Muslim communities that also provide them sanctuaries from military offensives.

FUNDING: Group operations are now mostly funded through criminal activity, principally kidnappings-for-ransom. However the group is known to have received initial start-up funding from a local charity run by Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, a brother-in-law of slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

ALLIANCES: The military and security analysts say the group harbours fugitive Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiyah members who train its members in bomb-making. It also has links with smaller Islamic militant groups with similar objectives.

The Abu Sayyaf recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, although the military and government officials say it is merely piggybacking on the jihadists' notoriety to drive up its ransom demands.

SCOPE: The military says the group operates mainly in pockets of the remote southern Philippine islands of Jolo and Basilan. It also raids resorts and other communities elsewhere in the southern and western Philippines, as well as neighboring Malaysia, in search of hostages.

RESPONSE: The Philippines and its main military ally, the United States, consider the group a "terrorist" organisation. In the past 12 years batches of up to 600 US Special Forces troops on rotating deployments have trained Filipino soldiers in how to fight the Abu Sayyaf.

Abu Sayyaf bandits holding two Germans said on Friday they had received some of the ransom they had been demanding and would not kill one of the Germans as they had threatened to.

The hostages, captured by the group in April from a yacht on the high seas, are being held in the interior of the remote island of Jolo, 600 miles (960 km) south of Manila.

Al Kataib, a man who described himself as an associate of militant spokesman Abu Rami, said in a telephone call to reporters in Zamboanga City that the group got a portion of the P250 million ($5.56 million) they had been demanded by Friday and "would not touch" the German they had threatened to behead.

He declined to say how much money they had got, or give details about who had paid it.

A government official confirmed that the German man had not been killed.

"The beheading will not happen," said the government source who declined to be identified.

The official, who was privy to the negotiations with the rebels, said about P60 million had been paid. The remainder would be delivered after more talks, the official said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which says it supports Islamic State fighters in the Middle East, have also demanded that Germany stops supporting US-led air strikes on Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

German government sources told Reuters that Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had sent a special envoy to the Philippines to negotiate a deal.

The envoy, Ruediger Koenig, had arrived in Manila, the sources said on Thursday evening.

The rebels have a record of kidnappings, killings and bombings.

Some Muslim groups in the southern Philippines have long been fighting Manila's rule, but Abu Sayyaf burst into prominence in 2000 after kidnapping 21 tourists and workers from a dive resort in nearby Malaysia.

The Abu Sayyaf Group has released its two German hostages, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Friday night.

According to a report on “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho” Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Gregorio Catapang confirmed that the captives were released at around 8:50 p.m.The German nationals, identified as Stefan Victor Okonek and Henrike Diesen, were found at a checkpoint in Patikul, Sulu and are now in military custody, the report said.

"As of 9:20 p.m., they are now undergoing medical checkup. They will proceed to Zamboanga City and will be given additional medical attention," Major General Domingo Tutaan, AFP spokesman, said in a text message to GMA News Online.

He said the two will be flown to Manila from Zamboanga City.

GMA News stringer Jayvee Francisco, who is in Zamboanga, earlier reported that the Abu Sayyaf announced over a local radio station that they had freed the Germans.

The two Germans were abducted last April while on a yacht in the waters between Palawan and Malaysia.

The Abu Sayyaf initially gave a 3 p.m. deadline for a P250-million ransom to be paid, but extended it to 5 p.m.

Aside from the money, the Abu Sayyaf also demanded that the military withdraw from Sulu and that the German government withdraw its support for a US-led campaign against the militant Islamic State.

According to a Reuters report, Abu Rami, the spokesman for the small but violent Abu Sayyaf group, had told a radio station based in Zamboanga that the hostages had been freed.

Rami said Abu Sayyaf had received the amount in full.

"The (money) arrived, nothing more, nothing less," he said.

Catapang, in a separate interview with GMA News refused to comment on whether money changed hands.

After the deadline given by Abu Sayyaf lapsed, beheading of a German hostage did not push through. According to a certain Al Kataib, aide of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Rami, a certain amount of money was delivered to them.

No details were given on who provided the money. According to the aide, ASG spokesperson Abu Rami will release a statement.

According to reports, the terror group will still go for the full payment of PhP250 million and will still call for Germany’s withdrawal of support in the campaign against Islamic State militants in Middle East.

ASG spokesman Abu Rami earlier said that Armed Forces of the Philippines should back off from their current positions. “If something happens to this person before the execution they should blame the AFP,” Rami said through Radio Mindanao Network. “They need to withdraw.

They are surrounding us and this is not good. We will kill the German if they won’t back off.”

However, AFP and Philippine National Police will still carry on with its law enforcement operations. AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said that they will not negotiate. No further details were given on the current movement of AFP and PNP.

A suspected member of the New People’s Army, Rene Bustamante, who is facing murder charges, has been granted bail by the court.

Bustamante’s lawyer, Joel Obar, said this is just the constitutional rights of the accused to post bail, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Although murder is a non-bailable offense, the law also allows that if initial proof shows the weaknesses of evidences presented, bail can be granted, Obar said.

Bustamante was allegedly happy with the grant of bail, and said he will face what he calls trumped-up charges against him.

He was arrested in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental early this year through an alias warrant of arrest for murder, that was questioned by Obar because his name was not on it, only that of a certain Pidiong, whom the Army tagged as a member of the rebel movement.

There is still no word, as of this posting, on the situation of 71-year-old German doctor Stefan Viktor OkonekThe 5 pm deadline of the Abu Sayyaf Group to the authorities has lapsed but there is still no word, as of this posting, on the situation of 71-year-old German doctor Stefan Viktor Okonek.

The kidnappers threatened to behead 71-year-old medical doctor if their demands are not met – P250 million in ransom and the withdrawal of Germany from the US-led war against the Islamic State (ISIS). Earlier in the day, the Abu Sayyaf moved the original deadline of 3 pm to 5 pm.The police and the military confirmed that "law enforcement operations" involving elite troops were ongoing. Military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc is tight-lipped about the operations but he said there's been no firefight so far.
"Ongoing ang law enforcement operations. Hindi ko lang masabi na saan, kailan o saan specifically. Ayaw natin ang ma-endanger ang buhay... (Law enforcement operations are ongoing. I cannot tell you when or where specifically. We do not want to endanger the lives [of the hostages]), said Cabunoc said.

The military has
about 3,000 troops in Sulu right now. In a Friday afternoon interview with RMN
radio, Abu Sayyaf spokespreson Abu Rami said that they're already surrounded by
the military.

"As of now,
I tell you that the military troops [are] already inside... by the side of our
camp. We just like to tell the public... if something happens [to this] person
before the ulitmatum date, they should blame the government of the Philippines and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,"
Abu Rami told RMN Zamboanga.

The Abu Sayyaf
demanded that a pullout of troops in the area. "We will definitely kill
Stefan Okonek," he added.

The provincial
government on Thursday gave the go-signal to the police and the military to
prepare for "law enforcement operations" against the Abu Sayyaf.

Law enforcement
operations, based on the plan laid out by the local government, include the
serving of warrants and checkpoint patrols.